Court issues notice to cops in film producer's cheating complaint against actor Kunal Khemu, father

Mumbai, Jan 1 (PTI) A court here has sought a reply from the police on a complaint against Bollywood actor Kunal Khemu and his father Ravi Khemu for cheating and criminal breach of trust.

Judicial First Class Magistrate (Andheri Court) Sujitkumar C Tayde, in an order passed on December 29, noted that as per section 175 (3) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the submission of the concerned police officer is required to be taken into consideration while making inquiry.

It then issued notice to the in-charge of Amboli police station in Andheri in the western part of the metropolis for filing say in the matter.

Film producer Ravi Durgaprasad Agarwal, in his complaint, has accused Kunal Khemu and Ravi Khemu of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and criminal intimidation related to a film project dating back nearly two decades.

Agarwal, in his complaint filed through advocate Vedika Chaubey, said he was in the process of producing a Hindi film titled "Overtake" and approached Kunal Khemu to play the lead role.

The complaint stated that after due discussions, negotiations, and the narration of the film, Kunal Khemu agreed to work in the said movie.

Following assurance from Kunal Khemu and his father, the producer paid Rs 21,00,000 to the actor as professional fees, it said.

However, the producer alleged the accused failed to fulfil their promise after receiving payment. As per the complaint, the duo demanded extra funds, leading to significant business losses.

The father-son duo started dictating terms on several occasions and compelled him to change the script. the producer claimed.

"Despite these wilful interferences, the complainant tolerated them for the sake of maintaining a cordial relationship and to produce and complete the said film. But, ultimately, the accused refused to work on the said script, despite initially accepting the complainant's concept," Agarwal said.

Agarwal previously approached the court in 2014, but the case was dismissed in 2017. He maintained that a "fresh cause of action" arose after failed settlement attempts and new threats from the accused.

He filed a written complaint in January 2024 at Amboli police station but no action was taken on it till date, the complaint said.

The producer claimed he approached the court after having exhausted "all the remedies available to him under the law", except for this complaint. Agarwal has urged the court to direct police to investigate the matter by registering an FIR. PTI AVI BNM